Amy Bolasky

Center for Historic Buildings
General Services Administration (GSA)

As an intern with the General Services Administration's Center for Historic Buildings in Washington, DC, I assisted the Historic Buildings Program Manager and staff in coordinating activities and initiatives to maintain the 424 public buildings controlled by GSA. One aspect of the work was to assist in coordinating with preservation specialists in educational, non-profit, and public institutions outside of GSA to exchange preservation solutions and learn about new initiatives. Specific activities included providing assistance during the coordination of the GSA, NTHP, and NOAA sponsored panel workshop for the Preserve America Summit held in New Orleans in October 2006, and coordinating the preliminary photography for selected historical federal buildings as one part of developing interior security design guidelines. This project, when published, will help contractors and architects balance a building's historic fabric and security requirements when planning new or additional security within a historic interior. The central focus of my summer internship was conducting research for the Historic Building Poster and Brochure Series, published through the Public Building's Service Heritage Program and the Center for Historic Buildings. Issued each May during National Preservation Month, the 2007 Series featured a modern building from each of the GSA’s eleven regions, including notable greats such as the Federal Center in Chicago, Illinois, by Mies Van Der Rohe, the U.S. Tax Court in Washington, DC, by Victor A. Lundy, and the Byron G. Rogers Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Denver, Colorado, by James Sudler Associates and Fisher and Davis. The GSA distributes the Series’ pamphlets and brochures free of charge to all interested parties. My internship with the GSA taught me a great deal about preservation at the federal level, the GSA's major role in federal preservation, how the GSA's historic inventory is maintained and utilized, and how government is involved in ensuring that national treasures retain their authenticity.